Topic Selection:  Select an experience from your past in which you are the leading character. Make certain it is a story you can tell in interesting and descriptive detail. It might be a time you were embarrassed, proud, frightened, or sad. It may be funny or unusual. Make sure your story has a plot. This means it should have a beginning, middle, and end. There should be an identifiable climax in your story.

Organization:  Organize the events in your story chronologically. (the order in which they occurred) These will become the body of the speech.

Introduction/Conclusion:  Select a slogan, proverb, famous saying, or advertising jingle which relates to your experience. For example, "Dude, you're gettin' a Dell" could go with a story about a special gift or surprise. "Pride goes before a fall" could be part of a speech in which you were overconfident and ended up losing a race. If your quotation is one the audience might not recognize, be sure to tell us who said it. This saying will go at the beginning and end of your speech.